You've been away for a while now
by Aphrodi
Summary: His scent. His favorite flowers. His favorite song. His favorite picture. And there, inside that crystal, the comfort he used to give her. At least he chose a good wife to leave behind, someone who is able to get keep her head high. But nevertheless, it hurts. Natsumi/Endou. (Chrono Stone timeline)


**Hello!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inazuma Eleven.**

**English isn't my main language, so tips will be very ****helpful! Inspired by _Bubbly _from_ Colbie Caillat._**

* * *

The_ waves of the sea continued to roll like they were used to. They reached the strand, and leaved beautiful streaks of white foam behind, there on the sandy beach. The day was perfect and still young. The sun shone brightly, and she grabbed the fabric of her pillow tightly, slowly breathing while enjoying the beautiful sight._

_Warm arms were spun around her, the grip was loose but it was certainly there. Soft and deep breathing was heard and she could feel the stream of the wind he exhaled against her hair, blowing away a few brown curly hairs every time he exhaled. _

_She loved all of this: she loved the sight, loved the man behind her and loved the quietness and the peace. She loved the wetness of his lips when they pressed against her cheek to wish her a good morning._

_And she loved the hoarseness of his voice after he had just awoken._

"_Morning.__"_

Her eyes opened slowly, and the sweet memory made her brain feel a little numb, like she was there instead of here. It would be so much better if she were.

She turned around, and there was no better wake-up call than the empty place next to her. She smiled sadly and grabbed the pillow, slowly inhaling the scent that was on it. She could barely smell it, but she knew it was there. And it gave her new power, like every morning.

Once she stepped into the kitchen, the sweet smell of flowers reached her nose. The beautiful bouquet of roses stood there in the sunlight of the early morning, and she smiled. Endou loved roses. And so did she.

She'd been alone for a while now, and he'd got her feeling like a lonely child now. She picked up a picture, a picture where Endou was holding a book, and she sat next to him. They were both laughing because of the silly pictures of their wedding. This picture was made at the same date as her dream earlier. On the vacation they had had together with Ichinose and Aki.

Because every time when she saw his face, she got tingles in the weirdest places. She opened the frame and grabbed the picture gently. She put the picture between the red, orange and yellow roses. She grabbed her jacket and left the house without eating anything.

Her curly hair danced on the wind, and it only took five minutes of walking before she reached the place were she was expected to be. Aki and Haruna were already waiting there.

The pet shelter was a place where she would prefer not to be, but since Endou was gone now, she had plenty of time left. Aki and Haruna asked her many times before if she wanted to help them with their volunteer work, and when she really couldn't handle the silence at home anymore, she decided to help her two old friends. She might not have many to do with dogs; it was still a lot of fun, talking about work and such things.

"Natsumi!" Haruna smiled and she waved happily. There were seven dogs sitting around them, all waiting before they were taken towards the forest, which was only two minutes away.

"Morning," Natsumi said, and they went off.

* * *

It smelled so nicely in the forest. And bright whistling was heard from the birds, they were whistling and singing to keep contact with their husbands and wives.

_Our song is just coming from one side, _Natsumi thought, and she bent forward to grab a beautiful flower that was growing near one of the big trees. _There wouldn't be a melody, just some notes that nobody could place. _Every bird had their own song, and it hurt that she would've been one with only some cold notes, missing the warm voice of a man to cover up the emptiness with other notes. Notes filled with passion, and with love.

Natsumi was a strong woman, determined to show no single emotion. But her legs refused to move, and the flower fell down, slowly dancing on the wind, having nothing left to hold onto. Just like her. Her fingers grabbed the fabric of her shirt, on the left side of her chest.

How more she wanted to act like nothing was wrong, how more pain it gave her.

Because it started at my ears and crinkled my tears, wherever it went I always knew, that you made happy, and please come back for a while now.

"Natsumi? Is something wrong?" Natsumi turned around, showing a bright smile.

"No, I was just enjoying the weather."

"Oh, all right then," Aki replied. Natsumi's lie was as strong as metal; there was no single hole that could tell anyone she was lying. But Aki knew Natsumi longer than today. And, also she suffered from something that was comparable with the sadness Natsumi had now. The only difference was that Aki knew Ichinose lived. Natsumi didn't know a single thing about her husband's status.

The rest of the little walk wasn't really spectacular, since the silences between the three friends were uncomfortable and awkward. They went almost home when a shining object caught the eye of a dog, and the dog picked it up with its beak, carrying it back to the pet shelter.

* * *

"What has Sasuke in his mouth?" Haruna asked, when she suddenly noticed the strange glow around the dog's head. Sasuke wasn't from the pet shelter, but Aki always took the old dog with her, since she felt quite sorry for the big friendly dog that his owner had so less time to take care of him right now.

"Uh…" Aki walked over to the dog and held her hand in front of his mouth, asking the dog to spit it out. And that was exactly what the dog did. The purple with blue colored crystal was covered in saliva and leftovers, making Aki's face turn into an expression of pure disgust.

"That's an expensive looking crystal…" Haruna said, noticing the blue liquid that crawled in between, being caught in a shape that looked like the letter _C. _

"Perhaps you could find the owner?" Aki asked Natsumi.

"I'm sure I can," Natsumi replied. Deep inside she felt a really strange feeling.

It started at her toes and she crinkled her nose, and wherever it went she always knew, that it made her smile. What was up with that crystal?

Natsumi took the crystal from Aki, and she cleaned it with the sleeve of her jacket, making it shine. Holding this crystal made her feel happy, and she smiled.

"This sure is a rare one." Aki and Haruna exchanged glances, a little puzzled because of the sudden change in behavior their friend showed.

* * *

That night the rain was falling against the windowpanes. And that was the only noise heard in Natsumi's house. She had lifted up her knees, and she hold the crystal in both hands, as close to her face as possible.

She went to some people she knew after she had separated from her friends, but no one could tell her who owned the crystal. The only thing she knew was that it _had _to be owned. Something beautiful as this wasn't something you saw everyday, and since crystal-trees did not exist, some kind of billionaire had to be searching for it at the moment.

However, after a day like this, and after all those weeks that had passed, she was more tired than ever. The crystal gave her some kind of odd comfort, and before she noticed she already drifted off to a nice sleep. The fact that she lay on the couch didn't even bother her.

_The rain was falling down at this lovely place, but we were hiding in a drier place, under all those covers staying nice and warm, talking about many things we adore._

_The nice day on the beach suddenly turned out to be rainy, and they had taken shelter in a small cave, pressed against each other with the blanket they had used for their picnic around them, keeping their soaked bodies a little warm. _

_They were laughing and talking about some silly things. _

_She could smell his scent clearly, that forest like scent she loved so much, and his warmth made her feel sleepy. _

_His fingers brushed through her hair and he pressed her against his body._

"_Sleep well__…"_


End file.
